Box



NOV. 7, 1944. C 'GQNDERT 2,361,937

BOX

Filed June 24, 1941 Patented Nov. 7, 1944 BOX Clarence Gondert, Dayton. OhioQasSignor to,

Gondert 8r Lienesch, 1110., Dayton,

poration of Ohio Application June 24, 1941, Serial No. 399,471

7 Claims.

This invention pertains to containers and crates and more particularly to a reinforced collapsible shipping box, and the method of folding it into a compact form when collapsed.

Whereas such reinforced containers have heretofore usually comprised independent members, including a tubular body and separate closure heads therefor, in the present instance the container is a one piece assemblywherein the closure heads are attached to the body by extensible hinge connections which permit the closure heads to be folded into parallel relation with the collapsed body into compact flat form for storage purposes.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction as well as the means and mode of folding shipping containers and crates, whereby they may not only be economically manufactured but may be easily collapsed into compact form and capable of being quickly erected for use, and wherein the closure heads are connected with the body portion of the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reinforced folding box having reversely foldable connected end closures arranged to accommodate the reinforced sides of the box when the latter is collapsed.

A further object of the invention is to provide extensible hinge connections for the closure heads whereby they may be extended into close parallel relation over the collapsed reinforced sides of the body of the box.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box or crate of sheet material which will be strong and durable and so constructed as to minimize waste material and facilitate its manufacture. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a reinforced folding box or crate having the advantageous structural features and inherent meritorious characteristics and mode of operation herein mentioned.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is illustrated' the preferred but obviously not necessarily, the only form of embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reinforced collapsible box embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the box in its collapsed and folded condition.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the collapsed box.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the component parts of the box in separated relation.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of one of the corner joints.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The present box" or container is especially adapted for shipping purposes, and is reinforced for added strength, and is collapsible into compact form for convenient storage until used, and for transportation from place of manufacture to that of use.

The container comprises a tubular body portion I to which are flexibly attached end closures or heads 2. The assembly comprises two inter- .connected sections of, sheet materiall and 4 shown in Fig. 5. Thematerial is preferably fiber board or corrugated paper board or analogous material. The body section 3 is longitudinally creased at spaced intervals and folded at right angles on such creases or score lines to form three sides of the box body and additional thereto narrow marginal flaps 5. Aseries of reinforcement cleats 6 are attached to the sheet material in parallel spaced relation upon the exterior face thereof.

The number and disposition of the cleats 6 may be varied according to the character of the material or article to be enclosed. However, it is desirable that cleats be disposed in close parallel relation to the corners of the box when erected, and that other cleats be located therebetween.

The section 4 comprises the fourth side wall of the body of the box and the continuing end portions of the section comprise the closure heads 2. The latter are integrally connected with the side wall of the box body by intermediate reverse folds 1 which form extension hinges for the terminal heads 2. Such section A is also longitudinally creasedto form narrow marginal flaps 5' which in the 'final assembly are attached to the l ke marginal flaps 5 of the body section 3 by staples, rivets or wire stitching, cementing or otherwise to complete the tubular body I of the box.

The outer face of the section I and also the int gral closure heads 2 are provided with reinforcement cleats 6. The ends of the cleats 6 attached to two opposite side walls of the box body terminate coincident with the opposite ends thereof, while those cleats attached to the remaining opposite walls extend a short distance beyond the terminal margins. Such extended ends of certain cleats 6 overlap the cleats carried by the closure heads 2 and may be nailed directly thereto. The cleats carried by the closure heads are shown extended beyond the margin thereof to overlap the ends of the more restricted cleats.

The hinge fold I, by which each end closure is flexibly attached to the body of the box, affords greater flexibility and enables the closure to be turned outwardly and downwardly into parallel relation with the side wall of the box when erected, to enable more convenient packing of material or articles into the box. When the lid or closure is returned to closed position, the hinge fold 1 projects within the box as shown particularly in Fig. 2. Such hinge fold I is especially effective when the box is collapsed. It then permits the closure heads to be folded onto the collapsed body of the box and, due to its extension, it enables the closures to clear the reinforcement cleats of the body and closure} which are disposed in superposed relation between the closure head and the contiguous box side when the box is reduced to its compacted form.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the box is shown collapsed. In Fig. 3 wherein one closure head is shown as reversely folded inside out under the bottom of the pack, the hinge fold I is extended to accommodate both the body cleats and the closure cleats 6 intermediate the closure and box side. At the top of Fig. 3 where the second closure head is shown folded in opposite direction with its inner face downwardly, only the cleats 6' of the box body are interposed between the closure and the side of the box, while the reinforcement cleats of this closure head are exposed on top thereof.

In Fig. 4 the collapsed pack is viewed from the right of Fig. 3 and hence the hinge fold I at the bottom conceals the reinforcement cleats 6, which are indicated by dotted lines beyond the hinge fold. At the top of Fig. 4 an end view of the closure is disclosed resting on the body cleats. Such arrangement enables the assembly to be folded flatly into minimum space for storage, and when the box is erected the closures are in position for use and ready adjustment to closed relation. Likewise the extended hinge fold enables the top closure to be completely reversed out of the way while the box is being packed.

While for ordinary packaging and for crates of moderate size reinforcement cleats 6 upon the exterior thereof will be found suflicient, for larger containers and those for receiving articles of great weight and goods of fragile nature, it is to such free head. Then the tubular body portion with the opposite terminal head flexibly attached is telescoped over the article and attached to the terminal head, upon which the article rests and the packing of the container about the enclosed article may be completed'through the open top of the container, which is then closed by the hinged terminal head.

Such construction thus becomes a two-piece assembly, the exterior longitudinal cleats of which are preferably extended on all sides a limited distance beyond the body side walls for overlapping attachment to the free terminal head The method of uniting the body portion may be varied according to the size of the container and condition of use, and may comprise either stitching, stapling, gluing. taping, or nailing.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A crate assembly comprising a polygonal tu- 4o bular body portion, flexible folds at the junctures maining sides extending limited distances theredesirable to doubly reinforce the container by providing additional cleats 6' interiorly thereof. Such interior cleats may be applied to either or both the body portion and to the terminal heads, and when employed are disposed transversely of the exterior reinforcement cleats 6.

For packaging of light or small articles, both closure heads are permanently hinged to the body portion by the intermediate folds 1, whereby in addition to their swinging motion the terminal heads are capable of to and fro shifting motion relative to the body in the planes of the closures. However, for receiving large or bulky articles, it is preferable, although not essential, that only one terminal head be so attached to the body portion and the other head left free. In such event, the free terminal head may be placed on the floor to form the container bottom, and the article to be enclosed rested upon and if necessary attached 76 beyond, integral closure heads for the tubular body, reinforcement cleats on the exterior faces of the heads disposed for nailing engagement with the cleats of the body portion when the closure heads are in closed relation, and extensible and contractible plaits of material projecting within the assembly when erected, flexibly connecting the closure heads and the body portion and enabling the closure heads to be reversely folded into parallel relation with a side wall of the body portion with a portion of a side wall structure therebetween when the assembly is collapsed.

2. A crate assembly comprising a polygonal tubular body portion and integral closure heads therefor including a continuous strip of material transversely divided by fold lines into a medial portion forming a side panel of the tubular body and terminal portions forming closure heads for the body, and reversely folded areas intermediate the medial and terminal portions providing extensible and contractible plaits projecting within the assembly when erected, and connecting the closure heads with the body portion for to and fro shifting movement ofthe closure heads in the planes thereof relative to the body portion, and a second strip of material divided by transverse fold lines into plural panel portions forming additlonal sides of the body portion and narrow terminal flaps on said second strip for union with the margins of the medial side panel portion of the first mentioned strip to complete said tubular body portion, the closure heads being integral with the body portion but capable of bodily adjustment relative to the body portion incident to the flexing of the reversely folded areas of said first strip.

In a crate assembly a reinforced polygonal body portion of sheet material having flexible folds at the junctures of its sides upon which the body portion is,foldable into substantially flat form, exterior reinforcement cleats upon the body portion, reinforced closure heads integral with the body portion including exterior reinforcement cleats thereon, and narrow medially folded intermediate panel areas flexibly connecting the closure heads and body portion in relatively spaced relation, and forming an inwardly extending extensible and contractible plait when the assembly is erected which enables the closure heads to be reversely folded into parallel contacting relation with the corresponding side of the body portion over interposed portions of the assembly when collapsed.

4. A folding container comprising a polygonal tubular body portion and integral terminal closure heads therefor, and an integral transversely folded panel of material flexibly connected with the closure heads and the body portion normally projecting within the container from the junctures of the closures and body portion when the container is closed and affording freely extensible and contractible expansion joints therebetween, enabling movement of the closure heads to and fro axially of the body portion and to and fro laterally into and out of registry therewith, the construction and arrangement being such that the closure heads may be folded into exterior overlapping relatively spaced substantially parallel relation with the side walls of the tubular body.

5. A folding container comprising a polygonal tubular body portion and integral terminal closure heads therefor, reinforcement cleats secured to the exterior faces of the body portion and the closure heads, and yielding expansion joints interconnecting the heads and body portion normally extending within the container when the latter is closed, and freely extensible and contractible to enable relative movement of the closure heads and the body portion, the constructon and arrangementbeing such that the closure heads may be folded into overlapping relatively spaced substantially parallel relation with the side walls of the tubular body with a portion of the reinforcement cleats interposed therebetween.

6. A folding container, comprising a blank of sheet material foldable on predetermined lines to form a polygonal body and integral, flexibly connected closure heads therefor. reinforcement cleats for the body portion and for the closure heads, the closure heads being capable of extensible and retractible adjustment relative to the body integral folds of the blank material, interconnecting the closure heads and the body portion and retractible within the container when the latter is closed, and when extended permitting bodily shifting adjustment of the closure heads and body portion in planes parallel with those of the closure heads, into and out of registry with each other.

7. A collapsible container assembly, including a polygonal tubular body portion, closure heads for the body portion integrally united therewith by extensible and contraotible free plaits projecting within the assembly at the juncture of the closure heads and the body portion when the as sembly is erected, the closure heads being reversely foldable when collapsed, over interposed portions of the assembly into parallel relation with the exterior of the collapsed tubular body portion.

CLARENCE A. GONDERT. 

